Grab your FREE weekly meal and snack planning template right HERE. Fill out your snacks and meals for the week with this easy meal planning printable. Then my kids can see their snack options for that day or week and what we need to eat. Lastly, I note the snacks options for the week on my weekly meal and snack planning template. Keep in mind snack prep time as you purchase your fruit. However, there are some fruits and vegetables that do take more time to prep – like cutting up strawberries or melons, or taking grapes off vines. There are many fruit and vegetable options that come cut or peeled and ready to eat. Meal prepping snacks does not have to be a time consuming task. Then, take snack prep time into consideration. It is a waste of time, money, and resources to have to trash food. ![]() One of my biggest pet peeves is throwing out moldy or unused food. I am all for introducing new things to my kids and giving them a variety to eat, but I also don’t want to waste food. It doesn’t help if I get a vegetable no one likes and prepare it for a snack if no one is going to eat it. Next, I take into consideration what my family really likes and what they will eat. Second, I look at the weekly grocery ads to see what is on sale or in season. First, I look in my fridge, freezer and pantry and see if there is anything that is going to expire, that needs to be used. Follow these steps to meal prep and plan healthy snacks for your family. Meal prep snacks at the same time you meal prep other meals for the week. In the same way, I limit my unhealthy snack purchases so we do not even have them around at all. I like to bake and make treats, but I do not do it very often at home because then my husband and I end up eating it all. The best way to avoid temptation of unhealthy snacks is to just not have them around. It is helpful to have healthy snacks ready and prepared so when you find yourself hungry and in the pantry or fridge you choose a healthy option instead of going for the chips, candy, or treats. In that case they have to finish their dinner or whatever meal we just had before they can have a snack or their unfinished meal becomes their snack. However, sometimes they try to get out of eating their dinner by getting a snack shortly afterwards. ![]() At meal time I do not force them to finish their plate because I do not want them to eat if they’re not hungry or force feed them. In fact, when asking for a snack I sometimes offer a part of the meal we just had or say “you can have a snack after you eat your dinner first”. However, if you have kids that are eating a snack 1-5 times a day, it should be a healthy supplement or extension of their meals. When you say or think of the word snack – lots of unhealthy and treat type foods come to find. If not careful or paid attention too, snacks can curb and deplete healthy eating habits. With how many snacks my kids eat, I need to plan healthy snacks for the week in addition to meals. Even after we get done eating a meal (which sometimes they hardly touch) one of my kids is always asking for a snack. At my house with small children, snacks are like meals 4, 5, 6 and 7 for the day. Everyone talks about meal planning, but rarely do we mention snack planning.
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